Bonnie Lacy - Cash Envelopes: Youve Never Had So Much Money

Copyright 2019 by Bonnie Lacy

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I went shopping the other day. For clothes. I had booked several speaking events and needed some thingsother than jeans and T-shirts. The owner at the shop helped me figure out some great outfits. I love them! I finally found a store that when I buy, I wear! And yeah, I spent some bucksespecially when I added in a great leather backpack for $98. Its beautiful, but a great priceright? (Secret? I still buy at thrift shopsI love those too!)

Yeah.

Let me take you back a few years to when my husband and I were in terrible credit card debt. I had about $30,000 on mine, and my husband had about the same. I had been in network marketing and they pressure you to buy the products so you can display and sell. I have so many baskets ... but that's another story.

Back to the clothes shopping.

The only time I have credit card debt now is when Im publishing books and buying ads to promote those books.

When I paid for those clothes, I wrote a check for it all. I didnt overdraw my account. I didnt pay with a credit card, either! I have paid cash in the past, but with the backpack, I went over my cash envelope total.

Just wrote a check.

I walked to my car and started it up. Looked at the bag (I really liked what I bought. Those tops were so and the backpack) and sighed a happy. No guilt, like when Id get loose with the credit cards in the past. (No, I don't blame my bad choices on an inner little brat or name her. It's ME. All me.)

See, when I paid for those clothes that day, the money came from the Clothes and Shoes Cash Envelope that I had deposited into our checking account.

I didn't use the grocery money.

I didn't max out a credit card.

Have you ever stood at a check-out with your insides quaking because you couldnt remember the balance on your credit card? Have you ever heard the sales person say, "Your card won't go through?"

Yeah.

Me too.

There is always a line. Others waiting behind you hear those words.

Shame. Shame. Me too.

But not this time.

When I got home, I laid out those cute outfits on the bed to show Dearly Beloved.

In the past, I would have crammed them in my closet or under the bed. Then, when I wore them and Dearly asked, "Is that new?" I'd say, "This old thing?

Lie, lie, lie.

When I wear one tomorrow, I can tell him where I bought it, how much I spent, and that I have two more, in different colors. (Or whatever.) He'll want me to model some. (But that's a whole other subject! Different book, maybe! ;o))

See, I love being excited to wear my new pretties instead of hiding them in shame and fear.

I'm free.

Hiding and keeping secrets is exhausting.

And I don't think my God wants me to live like that.

Hence, this book.

I'm letting it all out, so hopefully you can be as free as I am.

Come on in.

Oh, disclaimerIm not a CPA, a lawyer, an accountant or a financial counselor. Im a human who really messed up.

But!

I can breathe freely now, instead of choking and feeling like someone is twisting my stomach. (It's not a good ab exercise, believe me.)

Let's do this together. Yeah, it hurts to look honestly at the damage. It's scary to look at the truth. I know. But the truth set me free, and it can set you free, too.

Let's do this!

If you have read my nonfiction book, Rage Rising: My Walk Through the Dark Tunnel of Anger, you will remember I refer to Joanna Penn and her podcast on thecreativepenn.com when she interviewed Orna Ross, ornaross.com. They were talking about how Orna had people in a workshop write a letter to money. Tell it what you think of it!

My antenna went up.

I should do that.

And I did.

(I also went on to write a letter to Anger. You can read that in Rage Rising: My Walk through the Dark Tunnel of Anger.)

Dear Money,

How do you start something like this? Addressing a letter to you, Money, implies that you are real or even an individuala person.

Youre just paper or metal, arent you?

But if youre just paper or metal, then why do I think about you so much? And why are you so hard to earn or get?

Why do I get the feeling that you, Money, control me?

I love to spend you. I love to use you. I love to have the things you can buy.

When I dont have enough of you, I am scared or sad.

When I am sad, I can go shopping and I am happy againfor a moment.

But the moment dies away, and I am sad, so I go shopping again and again. Like an addict.

So Money, you do not own me. I am divorcing you. You are back to just being paper and metal to be used in building a life.

Thats all.

Bonnie

Lets go back a few years

Here came another bill I hadnt anticipated.

And another.

Bills due once a year used to terrify me. Bills due twice a year, ditto. I completely forgot about them until the envelopes arrived in the mail. I never could remember when they would be due.

I didnt have a system.

That was the first strike against us.

The second?

We didnt have the money to pay those once-a-year bills, because I couldnt remember when they were due!

On top of that, we were many thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Anybody out there know what I mean? Know how I felt?

Terrified.

Gut-wrenching fear.

We lived every day, waiting for the bomb to go off. One more billor somebody sick, and a trip to the doctor would send our checkbook balance over the edge.

Somehow, we made it through those times. Not by selling our first child. Nor by living on the streets. And we didnt move back home with our parents.

Some of that living on the street stuff happens. And worse. Heartbreaking.

This book is about our journey out of the mess we had made and the power of the Cash Envelope system, in every part of our lives.

After several years of hiding credit card debt from each other, my husband and I opened up and spilled our guts, or more properly, told the truth! We each had major debt we had been hiding from each other for years.

I dont know what he thought would happen if I knew. Im not even sure what I thought would happen if